New Delhi: The Union Budget 2026–27 has shown a small but meaningful increase in spending on children. Child rights organisation CRY – Child Rights and You said the rise is a positive sign, but stressed that India still needs stronger and clearer financial priority for children.

According to CRY’s preliminary analysis, total allocation for children in 2026–27 has increased to Rs 1,32,296.85 crore, compared to Rs 1,16,132.5 crore in 2025–26. This marks an increase of Rs 16,164.35 crore over the previous year.

The share of children’s allocation in the overall Union Budget has also gone up slightly, from 2.29 percent in 2025–26 to 2.47 percent in 2026–27. As a share of GDP, spending on children has inched up from 0.33 percent to 0.34 percent.

Reacting to the budget, CRY CEO Puja Marwaha said the rise in the child budget sends a positive message, but falls short of meeting the growing needs of children in a country like India. She said incremental increases in health, nutrition and education are welcome, but long-term and universal development will need stronger and more focused investment beyond minimum annual hikes.

In the health and nutrition sector, some key schemes have seen notable growth. Allocation for the National Health Mission and National Urban Health Mission has increased sharply to Rs 4,591.58 crore in 2026–27 from Rs 261.15 crore in the previous year.

The Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 scheme has also received a boost, with allocation rising to Rs 19,635 crore, aimed at improving nutrition services for children, adolescent girls, and pregnant and lactating women.

The PM Poshan Shakti Nirman scheme has seen a 2 percent increase, with an allocation of Rs 12,749.99 crore. The Jal Jeevan Mission has been re-included in the child budget after 2024–25, with Rs 6,736.36 crore earmarked, highlighting the importance of safe drinking water for child health.

In education and child protection, Mission Vatsalya has received a 3.33 percent increase, taking its allocation to Rs 1,550 crore. Samagra Shiksha has been allocated Rs 42,100 crore, a rise of 2.06 percent. A major highlight is the more than 20 percent increase for Eklavya Model Residential Schools, with funding reaching Rs 7,200 crore, signalling stronger focus on education for tribal children. Allocations for Navodaya and Kendriya Vidyalayas have also been raised.

The budget has set aside Rs 3,200 crore for Atal Tinkering Labs, which is expected to promote innovation and scientific thinking among government school students. The inclusion of the Skill India programme in the child budget aligns with the National Education Policy’s emphasis on early vocational exposure.

However, CRY pointed out that scholarship schemes for children from marginalised groups have seen little to no increase. Scholarships for Scheduled Caste students at pre-matric and post-matric levels remain largely unchanged.

Allocations for Other Backward Classes, Economically Weaker Sections, Scheduled Tribes and children with disabilities have seen only marginal growth, though funding for the Pradhan Mantri Vanbandhu Kalyan Yojana for tribal development has increased significantly.

Overall, CRY said the 2026–27 child budget reflects gradual progress but cannot yet be called a comprehensive investment in children. The organisation urged future budgets to move beyond small incremental increases and place children’s rights at the centre of financial planning, with adequate scale, equity and a long-term vision.

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